Beaches closed after untreated sewage reaches Carnelian Bay at Lake Tahoe

CARNELIAN BAY, Calif. - North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD), Placer County, and the California Tahoe Conservancy issued a health advisory for the Carnelian Bay area of Lake Tahoe following a spill of approximately 85,000 gallons of untreated sewage that reached the lake Thursday evening.

The NTPUD estimates that approximately 125,000 gallons of untreated sewage were discharged from the District’s export pipeline after a private contractor struck it. Emergency response crews were able to collect approximately 40,000 gallons of the spill at the site and return it to the export system immediately.

People in the area of Carnelian Bay at Lake Tahoe are advised that bacteria levels may be high in the area and that water contact could cause illness.

For a while, SR28 was closed in the area as cleanup operations were underway.

As of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, July 19, NTPUD emergency response crews completed the initial cleanup and remediation of the sewage spill site in Carnelian Bay.

With support from neighboring utilities, NTPUD utility crews were able to wash and disinfect the entire impacted area above and adjacent to Lake Tahoe. Carnelian Bay West and Patton Landing Beach remain closed to the public until further notice and a public health advisory is still in effect for the shoreline northeast from Carnelian West Beach to Manzanita Avenue and southwest to 4600 North Lake Boulevard.

Additional work to repair damage to landscaped areas near the shoreline will be done in the coming days.

The NTPUD’s main sewer export pipeline was repaired and the District’s wastewater system is now operating as normal. District engineers and utility operation managers will continue to monitor the incident site and pipeline repair.

Water samples from the site and the surrounding area have been taken and NTPUD is awaiting results. See health advisory HERE.